Michael M. Wood was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to Sweden on June 5, 2006.
Ambassador Wood is former CEO of Hanley Wood, LLC, the leading media company in the housing and construction industry and one of the ten largest business-to-business media companies in the U.S. He founded the company with partner Michael J. Hanley in 1976; today Hanley Wood has 750 employees and $250 million annual revenues.
On August 1, 2005, Hanley Wood management and private equity sponsor Veronis Suhler Stevenson sold Hanley Wood to JPMorgan Partners. Ambassador Wood stepped down as CEO but retained a seat on the Hanley Wood board. In September 2005 he joined the Veronis Suhler Stevenson Board of Advisors. In October 2005, he formed Redwood Investments, LLC, an investment company specializing in media and real estate.
President George W. Bush appointed Ambassador Wood to the U.S. delegation attending the inauguration of President Lucio Gutierrez Borbua of Ecuador on January 15, 2003 in Quito, Ecuador. In 1984 he organized a housing industry round table with President Ronald Reagan called "Building the American Dream." He is a former member of the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies and has served on the NAHB Long-Range Planning Committee.
Ambassador Wood received the Top Executive of the Year Award from Media Business magazine on June 16, 2005.
Ambassador Wood enjoys mountain biking and has ridden often with President Bush who is also an avid biker. He also likes golf and has a 12 handicap.
He and his wife have two grown children and two grandchildren.
